Ben Robertaccio
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Posts by Ben Robertaccio
Preparing Your Car For Winter Hibernation
Sep 22nd
Here in Minnesota wintry weather is inevitable and it’s approach triggers the unavoidable – putting your fun car away for winter. While none of us enjoy locking our favorite car away in storage for the better part of 6-months, there are a number of steps that can be taken to ensure your car is ready to hit the open road when the weather turns. We’ve included a number of storage tips below to make sure your car has a trouble free winter slumber and is in tip-top shape when it comes time to take it out of storage.
• Prior to storage bring your car fully up to operating temperature
• Find a dry, dark location to store your vehicle. Concrete floors are best.
Who says you can’t have fun with your sports car in the winter?
Jan 8th
The wintry months in Minnesota are always tough for auto enthusiasts, particularly those who tuck their cars away until the weather warms up. The video below proves, however, that you can have more fun than imagined in your sports car in a climate like ours.
Today the Porsche 550 Spyder showcased at the :23 second mark is a seven figure car. This begs the question, what’s crazier? Using cars like this to tow skiers or strapping on your skis and driving behind cars exceeding 60mph?
Something new is coming to Morrie’s Luxury Auto – Hint #1
Dec 30th
Yesterday we announced that we will be adding a new brand here at Morrie’s Luxury Auto in early 2015. We’ll officially reveal the brand next Monday and in the meantime we’ll be posting a daily hint.
Today’s hint is an engine note of one of the brands cars on the track. Crank up the volume, enjoy and begin guessing.
Hawk at Road America Race Car Concours Race and Parade
Jul 24th
If you’ve never been to the Hawk vintage races at Road America, you’re missing out on one of the coolest vintage car weekends in the country. Above and beyond all of the incredible race cars that take to the track during the four day event, one of the most memorable parts is the race car parade on Friday night.
Each year over 100 cars travel from the track to the quaint village of Elkhart Lake via a police escort. Seeing many of these cars on the track is a sight to see, but seeing them driving on public roads is something entirely different. Everything from open wheel cars to Le Mans prototypes to pre-war racers make the trip, often with grinning passengers tagging along. Locals and race fans reserve their spots hours in advance of the parade, akin to black friday bargain shoppers at Best Buy. Except the crowd is bigger, numbering in the neighborhood of 10,000, with many encouraging the parade cars to rev their engines, spin their tires and let it rip.
The spectator perspective is unlike any other car event you’ve seen and the view from the drivers seat is equally as exciting, but don’t take our word for it. Spend some time to watch our view from the driver’s seat of a 1971 Porsche 914-6 race car below:
Now continue and watch the spectators perspective that an attendee posted form this year’s parade:
Hawk at Road America – Saturday Update
Jul 19th
Despite wandering around Road America for the past few days, we keep running across new cars that catch our eye. Last night we enjoyed the race car concours where over 100 race cars were escorted from the track to the village of Elkhart Lake. Over 10,000 people showed up for the event and we’ll be bringing you video of the parade in the coming days.
In the meantime, enjoy these pictures we took today at the track and pictures from the street car concours that took to the streets of Elkhart Lake this evening.
Morrie’s to bring you coverage of the region’s largest vintage racing event, the Hawk at Road America
Jul 12th
The Hawk at Road America is one of the largest vintage race weekends in America, bringing together 400+ race cars ranging from 1926 Bugatti’s to Historic Formula 1 cars to everything in between. For many petrol heads it represents automotive nirvana and is the catalyst for an annual octane induced pilgrimage to the rolling hills of Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.
If you’ve never attended, you don’t know what you’re missing. You absolutely have to add it to your automotive bucket list. Fortunately if you can’t make it this year, we’ll be there providing live coverage from a few different perspectives.
In addition to getting a spectator’s view of all the action, one of our own will be participating in the event in a vintage Porsche 914-6. Our plan is to post photos, videos and other contents from a racer’s perspective before, during and after the race. We also hope to get some exclusive coverage of our friends from Mazda USA who will be running a historic fleet of significant Mazda race cars including a Mazda 787, RX7-92P and a RX-7 GTU car.
With such an amazing selection of cars to shoot we’ll certainly have a hard time determining where to start. This is where you come in. Take some time to thumb through the entry list, find a car that suits your fancy and tell us what you want to see by commenting on our Facebook wall. We’ll do our best to get photos, videos and other content that you request.
View the entry list here, then let us know what you’d really like to see pictures of.
Alos, be sure to stay tuned to the blog and the Morrie’s Luxury Auto Facebook page to see event updates beginning on Wednesday.
As a teaser, we’ve included a selection of pictures from last year and a video highlighting race car concours and associated parade into town from the track.
Escaping the wintry weather at the 12 Hours of Sebring
Mar 17th
2014 marked the 62nd running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, arguably the most grueling automotive endurance race on the planet. The race was the second round of the newly formed Tudor United Sportscar Championship, an amalgamation of the now defunct American Le Mans and the Grand Am endurance series’. The newly formed group brought together two groups in the interest of a unified series with increases competition. In doing so, much was required to make the different classes of cars on par with one another. The task was much easier said than done, but it appears that after round two things are lining up nicely. Unfortunately, other elements of the merger still need some work.
Race day was marked with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-eighties. Not only was the weather great for racing, it was also a nice change for a winter-weary Minnesotan such as myself. If you’ve never been to Sebring, the first thing you’ll quickly learn that it is expansive, covered in sand, devoid of any elevation and packed with people. If you’re used to the wonderful amenities and facilities at a track like Road America, you’ll be largely disappointed with Sebring. The one thing the track does have is history. Originally an Air Force base, much of the course is made up of decades old concrete runways that really provide a beating for the cars. For this very reason, many teams see the race as the perfect training ground for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The saying goes, if you can handle 12 Hours at Sebring you will have no problem racing 24 hours at Le Mans.
Since the race falls right in the middle of spring break season, you’ll find two distinct groups of attendees. The first are octane-loving race fans decked out in their favorite teams colors and focused intently on the race. The second group consists of folks there for the party and seemingly unaware that a race is even underway. The latter group assembles compounds using some very ingenious engineering methods all in the interest of having a good time day or night. Many adorn crazy attire such as chicken suits, drive around in the tallest pickup trucks you’ve ever seen and play music that makes the un-muffled cars on the track seem quiet.
As already noted, it’s generally a healthy hike from corner to corner. It seems that every time we decided to move corners we’d arrive at the new corner to find an extensive full course caution period. The race was marked by over five hours of full course cautions. While there was a fair amount of carnage, the cautions periods were often over-embellished, lasting a good 30-minutes past when incidents were cleared. Many attribute this to the new ownerships desire to bunch up the cars and create “exciting” racing. As a longtime race fan, I can tell you these unnecessary cautions only throw off the rhythm of the race and frustrate teams and fans alike.
In the end, though, the race did make for some exciting racing across all four classes. Chip Ganassi racing won the top prototype class with their Ford Ecoboost Powered Riley Daytona Prototype. Core Autosport won the Prototype challenge series with their Chevy powered Oreca FLM09. The Porsche factory team took top honors in the production based GTLM category with their 911 GT3 RSR. Magnus Racing in their Porsche 911 GT America won the final class, GTD. Despite the caution period fiascos, the race was still marked with a lot of close racing and results that came down to the wire.
A First Timer’s Trip to a Formula 1 Race – 2013 US Grand Prix in Review
Nov 27th
As long as I can remember I’ve been a huge motorsports fan, but nothing could prepare me for my first Formula 1 race. Nothing.
I started attending auto races when I was in the womb. At three years old I battled chicken pox watching IMSA GT racers zoom by at Brainerd International Raceway. At the ripe age of eleven I had the good fortune to bump into Mario and Michael Andretti in paddock at Road America. I’ve attended many of other races ranging from amateur club level races to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, yet I never had the chance to attend a Formula 1 race. That all changed just over a week ago when I attended the 2013 US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas
If you’re not familiar, Formula 1 is the pinnacle of auto racing. Weighing in at just 1,415 pounds and delivering nearly 750 horsepower, a contemporary Formula 1 car can sprint from 0-60 mpg in under two seconds. Read this last sentence again. A short seven seconds later a Formula 1 car will hit 190mph. The same cars will decelerate from 190 mph to 0 in just over three seconds. It has to be the equivalent of being shot out of a cannon and into a brick wall.
To say these cars can move is an understatement and their handling is equally impressive. Much like in aerospace, Formula 1 teams use the same wind tunnels to maximize aerodynamic forces. Whereas planes rely on lift, Formula 1 cars thrive on down force. This force allows a modern F1 car to grip the road like an insect to fly paper. To put this down force into perspective, a Formula 1 car could drive upside down in a tunnel. Myth busters proved it, so it must be true…but enough about the cars, let’s talk about the Formula 1 experience.
If you could ever ride in a Formula 1 car it would surely blow your mind. If you think racecar drivers are not athletes, you’re delusional. I learned this firsthand when I had the opportunity to ride in a legit Formula 1 car that had been converted to a three seater for ride-alongs. At a small private racetrack roughly 30 minutes from the Formula 1 course, our group was treated to two laps around Harris Hill Speedway with one of two highly qualified drivers. The first, Jerome D’Ambrosio, drove previously for the Lotus F1 team. The second, Martin Plowman, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012.
Analogous to a sumo wrestler climbing into a Smart Car, I nearly had to ask for some Crisco to ease the squeeze into cars passenger side pod. Once in, I was sure that I would never make it out. Martin Plowman fired up the car and immediately high octane fumes permeated the cockpit. Heat radiated off my back and I suddenly understood how claustrophobics feel in a crowded elevator. I needed some airflow fast and I certainly got it, in the form of a 750 horsepower jetpack strapped to my back.
As we accelerated out of the pits the sensation was unlike anything I ever felt before. As we approached the first turn, a sweeping right-hander I no longer had to worry about it, as I was experiencing the most extreme g-forces ever. I’m certain my internal organs were struggling to stay in place. As we accelerated out of the turn the wind pulled up on my helmet so much I was sure that like a schoolyard dandelion, my head would pop off. But again, time would not permit it as Plowman put on the clampers and the car slowed down for the next turn and I could see the road again. Another game of rib crunching ensued. Accelerate. Brake. Turn. Brutal acceleration. Rinse and repeat for a couple minutes and we were done. The video below puts it into perspective. That is indeed me shoe horned into the passenger compartment…. fat guy in little suit. Had this been the only thing planned for the Austin trip I would have been happy, but it was just the beginning.
People always say that Formula 1 cars are loud, but they are dead wrong. When I arrived at the Circuit of the Americas that afternoon for Friday practice I found that Formula 1 cars are downright deafening. I’m not talking about rock concert at First Avenue loud or turn it up to eleven loud; I’m talking about shoving multiple M80s down your eardrums loud. With engines revving to 18,000 rpms, the cars emit a high frequency wail that both gives you goose bumps and makes you run for cover. Never have I experienced something so uncomfortable and heavenly at the same time. Without earplugs I was certain my ears would bleed.
Upon arriving I knew that the racing gods were looking down favorably on me during this trip. I had the unique opportunity to call a grandstand suite on the start finish line my home for the three-day weekend. This home base provided spectacular views of turn 20, a great vantage point of the start-finsh straightaway, a bird’s eye view of the pits, and views of the cars as they climb the monstrous hill to turn 1. As we arrived for the second half of afternoon practice, I got just a taste of Formula 1 racing. Saturday I would drink from the Formula 1 big gulp, or in Formula 1 elitist circles, the silver chalice.
Saturday appeared to be a theatrical mind game. As the penultimate race of the season, the US Grand Prix represented a best of the rest opportunity. Sebastian Vettel had already won the driver’s championship in his Red Bull RB9, winning the seven previous races and leaving fans divided. Some love him, some hate him, but in the end his talent cannot be denied. When the morning practice rolled around, part of me was happy to see him running mid-pack. I soon discovered, however, that it was all just a mind game. Through the first 58 minutes of qualifying session 1, someone other than Vettel held the top spot. Would someone else take the glory? Nope. With less than two minutes to go in the session, Vettel snuck up and took a commanding lead.
I’ll spare you the details, but top performers from the first two qualifying session advanced to the third session where the board was wiped clean. Can you guess what happened? Vettel, again, snatched the pole position with minutes to go in session, ruining the hopes of many jaded Formula 1 fans tired of seeing another Vettel parade on race day. Still, attending a Vettel dominated race is much better than not attending at all, right?
We arrived early on Sunday for race day and enjoyed watching two race groups run in support of the Formula 1 big show. Formula Vintage cars took to the track first. An eclectic mix of vintage and historic racecars this group put on a good show, albeit one with a large speed and skill differential. Out front, two Formula Atlantic racecars battled hard for the lead. Towards the middle a couple of stunning Formula B cars provided great photo opportunities harkening back the golden age of open wheel racing. After 8 short laps the race was over.
Shortly following the Formula Vintage race, what seemed like fifty Ferrari Challenge cars grid the main straightaway with much pomp and circumstance. There were scantily clad grid girls. There were more engines revving than in a Fast and Furious movie. There were cars of every color imaginable. This group, consisting of identically prepared Ferrari 458 Challenge cars, showed that wealth and driving talent do not always go hand in hand. The race did, however, make it clear that with enough money you can fix anything.
Upon cresting the hill into turn one on the first lap, one of the front-runners got nudged, putting into motion an entertaining chain of events. The nudged car spun, creating an obstacle to the dozen of cars yet to navigate the turn. Just to add to the excitement the car that initiated the nudge damaged his radiator. In the heat of the moment he proceeded to drive the next several turns spewing slippery-as-ice coolant out of his car. As the cars pirouetted on the spilled coolant all I could think of was the Ferrari boys back in Maranello enthusiastically adding up new parts sales. After the Ferrari Challenge drivers completed their race and sent half a dozen cars to the wrecking yard it was finally time for the Formula 1 race.
At the start of the Formula 1 race there was a bit of shuffling for position. Vettel got his signature jump on the field, but Red Bull teammate Mark Webber who qualified 2nd, slipped back to fourth when Romain Grosjean snuck by in his Lotus and Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes AMG. Things cleared out a bit out front, but soon enough the mid-pack Force India car of Adrian Sutil careened into the wall after a bump with Esteban Gutierrez. Short of a brief yellow flag period, the remainder of the race was rather uneventful.
While the race was uneventful, the pit stops were truly a sight to see. Whereas it might take you 20 minutes to change a flat tire on your car, these teams can change all four tires in under 3 seconds. The Red Bull team did it in 2.3 seconds. Seriously, if you blink you’ll miss a tire change. The pit crew is a well orchestrated machine that practices their craft over and over and over, probably more than your typical pro athlete practices his swing.
One key to their success is their equipment and having everything in the right place. By a stroke of luck we got the opportunity to tour the pits pre-race and get a firsthand look at the equipment and tools at their disposal. I’m guessing that one tire gun costs more than my car.
As the race wound down Vettel maintained an eight second lead over Grosjean, and Webber couldn’t quite bridge the gap to Grosjean. In the end, they maintained these positions at the end.
As quick as the race started, it was over and fans flooded the front straightaway for the awards presentation. As soon as the presentation was over, logistics workers flooded the pits like worker ants with forklifts and airfreight containers. It was truly a site to see and I can only imagine the planning involved to fly the cars and equipment across the world for all 19 races.
All in all it was an incredible experience, unlike any race I had attended before and I look forward to the opportunity to attend another in the near future.
Grand Am and American Le Mans Series at Road America
Aug 12th
This past weekend Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, hosted a memorable sports car double header featuring the Grand Am Sports car series on Saturday and the American Le Mans Series on Friday. The double billing brought out America’s top endurance racing teams and record setting crowds to “America’s National Park of Speed.”
The Hawk Vintage Races at Road America
Jul 22nd
Every July vintage racers and automotive enthusiasts make the pilgrimage to Road America for the Hawk Vintage Races with Brian Redman. Arguably one of the nation’s greatest vintage auto racing events, The Hawk brings together over 450 races cars spread across 10 race groups. Whether you like early fifties production cars, late-model Formula 1 cars or anything in-between there is certainly a number of cars to get engine racing at this event. Below you will find a small snapshot of the impeccably prepared race cars that were in attendance. If you have never attended it is certainly something you should add to your automotive bucket list.
